Police: Stabbing of E. Jerusalem man motivated by nationalism

Police in Jerusalem suspect that the stabbing of an East Jerusalem man yesterday in the capital's Mea Shearim neighborhood was nationalistically motivated. Hamad Hamad, 31, from the Wadi Joz neighborhood in north Jerusalem, approached a patrol car on Shivtei Yisrael Street, on the outskirts of the ultra-Orthodox quarter, bleeding from numerous knife wounds.

He told police that four Jews wearing skullcaps had attacked him.

Hamad was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center with moderate to severe injuries. The hospital said his condition has now stabilized.

Jerusalem police commander Maj. Gen. Aharon Franco said yesterday the attack was likely to have been nationalistically motivated, but the possibility has not been ruled out that the attack was committed during an attempted robbery or previous bad blood between the victim and his attackers.

Franco said that over the past year, the police have immediately responded to all stone-throwing and other violence in Mea She'arim and identified the perpetrators. Some years ago, a man stabbed seven Arabs in the neighborhood, killing one. Those crimes remain unsolved, although police say they are unrelated to yesterday's attack.

Police also said the stabbing was unlikely to be connected with the recent violence in Hebron, although they have been preparing for possible violent demonstrations.

A right-wing woman activist was detained for questioning yesterday after she spit at an Arab woman near East Jerusalem.